Contemporary architecture is the architecture of the present day. Within the context of a beautiful, natural environment, such as the Cotswolds, it often poses an interesting, ambitious challenge for architects. Over our years as Cotswold Architects, we have worked with a number of clients to create contemporary structures such as extensions to traditional Cotswold stone cottages and heritage buildings, which effortlessly combine contemporary design with traditional features.
We have linked traditional cottages to contemporary extensions via glass walkways, combining local Cotswold stone and glazed panels to open up spaces in ways that stretched our own imagination whilst creating beautiful designs. Introducing panoramic floor to roof glazing for traditional oak frames has been made possible with technological advances in construction. It opens up interior spaces dramatically, bringing a real sense of both the beauty of the surrounding landscape and the seasons inside.
All architectural design balances four dimensions, not just three. Physical spaces, especially in contemporary architecture, alter as time passes. Whether that is the way light enters the space at different times of day, or how shadows fall as the sun is higher or lower in the sky according to the seasons, is something that is a critical element in creating beautiful functional architecture.
Architects often talk about inspiring, innovative architectural designs, but we always draw inspiration from the surrounding countryside and our client’s home spaces and ideas. Our clients’ aspirations, however ambitious they may be, help to inspire us to create unique architecture and the more ambitious the design, the closer our collaboration with them has to be.
We believe in honesty and will always be clear with you if we think that something cannot or should not be done for structural, environmental or aesthetic reasons and we will ensure that we work hard to find a viable alternative.
We believe in listening to our clients’ ideas and giving them the time to really absorb the challenge and think things through carefully. This is why our approach is highly collaborative and our costings are always 100% transparent right from the start.